NM county issues same-sex marriage licenses

[joeybee12]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Gay couples rushed to a courthouse in Las Cruces on Wednesday after the county clerk decided to issue same-sex marriage licenses in a surprise move that came as several legal challenges on the practice make their way through the courts.

"I was in a coffee shop grading dissertations when my partner sent me an email saying, 'you want to get married?'" said Char Ullman, 51. "I went home to brush my teeth and headed to the courthouse."

Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins said his office had provided 33 licenses to same-sex couples.

"It's a happy office today. Lots of happy people," he said.

Ellins said he had carefully read state laws and concluded the "state's marriage statutes are gender neutral and do not expressly prohibit Dona Ana County from issuing marriage licenses to same-gender couples."

http://news.yahoo.com/nm-county-issues-same-sex-marriage-licenses-205850830.html

[William769]

1. Hell yes!

[MNBrewer]

2. Is this the civil disobedience the NOMites and Manhattan Declartionists were talking about?

[William769]

3. BREAKING: AG will not challenge N.M. county’s same-sex marriages

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico Attorney General Gary King says he will not challenge a move by a Dona Ana County clerk to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

King told reporters Wednesday at a news conference that he didn’t believe state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were constitutional.

He also said he would not challenge any other county clerk who issued licenses.

Still, King warned that those marriages could be invalid if the state Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage is not allowed in New Mexico.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/08/attorney-general-will-not-challenge-n-m-countys-same-sex-marriages/